Rolling curl removing device for rolled photosensitive paper

ABSTRACT

There is disclosed herein a rolling curl removing device for rolled photosensitive paper used in reproduction apparatus wherein the rewound photosensitive paper is curled in the direction opposite to the rolling curl so as to remove the rolling curl. This rolling curl removing action is stopped at the same time that the photosensitive paper stops being fed.

United States Patent Inventor Tadaaki Kanno Tokyo, Japan Appl. No. 769,138 Filed Oct. 21, 1968 Patented Jan. 5, 1971 Assignee Kabushiki Kaisha Ricoh Tokyo, Japan Priority Oct. 21, 1967 Japan No. 42/89140 ROLLING CURL REMOVING DEVICE FOR ROLLED PHOTOSENSITIVE PAPER 7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 242/55, 162/2711242/56, 242/76 Int. Cl B65h 75/02 Field of Search 242/55, 56,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,807,274 5/1931 Beidler 242/76X 2,288,786 7/1942 Carroll 162/271X 2,486,121 10/1949 Corn 242/76X 2,558,788 7/1951 Sillars..... 242/67.2 2,592,090 4/1952 Weaver 242/76 2,737,089 3/1956 Baumgartner 242/75.3X 2,963,087 12/1960 Eichorn et a1. 162/271X Primary Examiner-Stanley N. Gilreath Assistant Examiner-Werner H. Schroeder Attorney-Waters, Roditi, Schwartz & Nissen I ABSTRACT: There is disclosed herein a rolling curl removing device for rolled photosensitive paper used in reproduction apparatus wherein the rewound photosensitive paper is curled in the direction opposite to the rolling curl so as to remove the rolling curl. This rolling curl removing action is stopped at the same time that the photosensitive paper stops being fed.

PATENTED JAN 51911 3552568 SM? 1 OF 2 PATENTEU JAN 5 I971 3552568 sum 2 BF 2 F/gr3 ROLLING CURL REMOVING DEVICE FOR ROLLED PHOTOSENSITIVE PAPER The present invention relates to a rolling curl removing device for rolled photosensitive paper, especially used in a reproduction apparatus.

As the rate of reproductionwork has increased, it has become quite common to install rolled photosensitive paper in the reproduction apparatus, to cut the-photosensitive paper in a required size automatically upon rewinding it, and to feed it to a copying station. In this case, the 'rewound photosensitive paper often has a rolling curl which may cause a trouble .in steps of feeding and copying the subsequent rolled photosensitive paper. In order to obviate this difficulty, it has already been suggested that a photosensitive paper with a rolling curl be fed around a roller or a plate which is set within the apparatus so that the photosensitive paper may be curled in the opposite direction. Since the rewo'und rolled photosensitive paper is maintained around the rollerorthe plate also during prolonged periods when the apparatusis inoperable, the photosensitive paper part which is kept in contact with the roller or the plate for a long time'forms a curl in the opposite direction. Accordingly, when the apparatus is next used the first photosensitive paper is not flat but curled in the opposite direction, the image is distorted out of focus, the photosensitive paper is wound on the guide roller, and wrinkles form on the photosensitive paper itself. Moreover, the reproduction apparatus sometimes becomes inoperable due to the curl.

The invention relates to means for obviating the abovementioned defects in existing reproductiori'apparatus and for providing flat photosensitive paper to be fed to the copying means.

For a better understanding of the objects and further features thereof, reference is made to the following detailed disclosure of this invention taken in conjunction with'the accompanying-drawings wherein: 1

FIG. 1 denotes a schematic diagram of a rolled photosensitive paper feeder with a rolling curl removing device according to the invention; v

FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 denote two states of a'control mechanism of the rolling-curl-removing device, respectively;

FIG. 4 denotes how a tension spring works to rotate a lever; and

FIG. 5 denotes a state of the control mechanism just prior to its return to the state shown in FIG. 2.

In FIG. 1, a photosensitive paper 'rewound from a rolled photosensitive paper 1 is guided to a pair of feed-in rollers 4 and 4' passing through a guide roller 2. In'this case, the overrewinding of the rolled photosensitive paper 1 is prevented by invention as well as other a brake plate (not shown in FIG. 1) which is always in contact with it through a spring action. Between the guide roller2 and the pair of feed-in rollers 4 and 4', the rolling curl removing device 3 according to this invention is installed, which will be described later in more detail. The photosensitive paper is then cut by a cutting device comprising a fixed cutter 5 and a rotating cutter 6. The sheet of photosensitive paper cut in this way is fed to a charging device 8 by a pair of feed rollers 7 and 7'. The photosensitive paper is then fed to an exposure device (not shown in FIG. 1) by another pair of feed rollers 9 and 9.

The rolling curl removing device 3 in the position shown by a solid line in FIG. 1 when the apparatus isworking, gives the photosensitive paper a curl in the direction opposite to that of the rewinding ofthe photosensitive paper, and feedsit to the pair of feed-in rollers 4 and 4'. When the feed of the photosensitive paper is stopped, the rolling curl removing device 3 rotates around the shaft 10, into a position shown by a dashed line, and stops the rolling curl removing action, so that the photosensitive paper is fed into the pairof feed-in rollers 4 and 4' in a linear path shown by a broken line. Stops 11 and 12 keep the rolling curl removing device 3'in either of the abovementioned two positions.

In FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a lever 13 is fixed to the rotating shaft 10 of the rolling curl removing device 3, and a spring anchor 14 is mounted to the other end of the lever 13. Moreover, a

two-arm lever 15 is rotatably mountedon a shaft 16.'At theend 17 of one arm of the two-arm lever 15 and the spring anchor 14 of the lever 13, both ends of a spring 18 are connected respectively. The end of the other arm of the two-arm lever 15 is always kept in contact with a control cam 19 for the rolling curl removing device as the lever 15 is rotatable around the shaft 16 through a spring not shown in the drawings. The

control cam 19 has a projection 20 on its periphery so as to:

control the two-arm lever 15.

A control-cam 21 for the photosensitive paper-cutting device is fixed coaxially to the controlcam 19. The control are rotated in the direction shown by an arrow by a drive roller I 4 of the pair of feed-in rollers through a gear, a belt or other appropriate means. The state of each member shown in FIG. 2 corresponds to the state of the rolling curl removing device 3 shown by a broken line in FIG. 1, and herein the device 3 is out of operation. The state shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to the state of the rolling curl removing device-3 shown by a solid line in FIG. 1, in which the rollingcurl removing device is working. p In the following, it is explained how the rolling curl removing device works according to the invention. When the reproduction apparatus is not working, each .element of the rolling curl removing device is atv the position shown by a.

3 so that it takes the standby position to stop the feed-in of the photosensitive paper to cut it. Simultaneously, the two-arm lever 15 also disengages from the projection 20 of the control cam 19 and takes the position shown in FIG. 3. Accordingly, the lever 13 is rotated from the position shown in FIG. 2 to that in FIG. 3 under the action of the tension spring 18, and is kept in this state. FIG. 4 shows the mechanism of the action of the tension spring 18 to shift the lever 13. Just after the two arm lever 15 disengages from the projection 20 and comes to the position shown in FIG. 3, the lever 13 still stays at the position shown in FIG. 2. The force exerted on the lever 13 by the tension spring 18 whose both ends arerespectively attached to the spring anchor 14 and the end 17 of the two-arm lever 15 can be expressed by a vector A. The vector A includes a radial component C and a tangential component B with respect to the rotating shaft. By the vector component B, the lever 13 is turned down to the position shown in FIG. 3. Y

The turning of the lever 13 from the position shown in FIG. 2 to that in FIG. 3 corresponds to the transition of the rolling curl removing device in FIG. 1 from the position shown by a broken line to that shown by a solid line, that is, the device shifts from the position of suspension of removing a rolling curl to the working position. Here, the path of the photosensitive paper shifts from the one shown by a broken line to that shown by a solid line, and the photosensitive paper is curled in the direction opposite to the rolling-curl. The photosensitive paper, fed in this way, is squeezed so that its rolling curl is removed.

When the control cams l9 and 21 continue to rotate further and the projection 20 of the controlcam 19 again pushes up the end of the two-arm lever 15, the lever 15 comes to the position shown in FIG. 2, but the lever 13 remains momentarily in the state shown in FIG. 3. Here appears a situation reverse to that shown in FIG. 4, that is, the situation shown in FIG. 5. In this case, the lever 13 is [rotated counterclockwise by the tangential component of the force of the tension spring 18, and takes the position shown ".in FIG. 2. Now, the microswitch 22 which is controlled by the projection 23 of the control cam 21, stops the feed of the photosensitive paper by stopping the drive of the feed-in roller 4, and causes the cutters 5 and 6 to cut the photosensitive paper. By selecting the ratio of rotations of the feed-in roller 4 and control cam 21 properly, the cutting size of the photosensitive paper can be selected as desired.

lt is also possible to replace the tension spring 18 with a solenoid and control the solenoid by means of a microswitch 22. In this case, the cam 19, the lever 13 and the two-arm lever 15 do not function.

In summary, the rolling curl removing device according to the invention stops its rolling curl removing action together with the stop of the feed of the photosensitive paper. Therefore, even if the photosensitive paper isleft in the halted apparatus over a prolonged period, the photosensitive paper is prevented from curling in the reverse side due to the rolling curl removing device, and normal reproduction work can continue with the first paper when it is used next time.

lclaim:

1. In a reproduction apparatus comprising in combination feeding means for feeding paper from a first station to a second station, cutting means for cutting said paper between said stations, and a curl removing device comprising a paperengaging member, support means supporting said paper-engaging member for moving said paper-engaging member into an operative paper-engaging position and into an inoperative position remote from said paper, cainming means including a first and a second track, follower means tracking said first track, intermediary means interconnecting said follower means with said support means, switching means including a.

supported between said opposite end portions, one end portion being engageable with said first-track, the other end portion being connected to said intermediarymeans.

3. The combination as-claimed in claim2 including a first stop being engageable with said paper-engaging member in said operative paper-engaging position, and a second stop engageable with said paper-engaging member in said inoperative position remote from said paper.

4. The combination as claimed in claim 3, wherein said,

feeding means comprises a pair of rollers engageable with opposite sides of said paper. 7

5. The combination as claimed in claim 4, wherein said intermediary means is a spring. I

6. The combination as claimed in claim 5, wherein said support means includes a pivotally supported lever.

7. The combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein. said cutting means operates to cut said paper whcn said feeding means is stopped. 

1. In a reproduction apparatus comprising in combination feeding means for feeding paper from a first station to a second station, cutting means for cutting said paper between said stations, and a curl removing device comprising a paper-engaging member, support means supporting said paper-engaging member for moving said paper-engaging member into an operative paper-engaging position and into an inoperative position remote from said paper, camming means including a first and a second track, follower means tracking said first track, intermediary means interconnecting said follower means with said support means, switching means including a follower tracking said second track, and means coupling said switching means with both said feeding means and said cutting means, said first and second tracks cooperating with the respective followers such that the paper engaging member is moved into said inoperative position remote from said paper when said feeding means is stopped.
 2. The combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein said follower means tracking said first track comprises a lever having opposite end portions, said follower means being pivotally supported between said opposite end portions, one end portion being engageable with said first track, the other end portion being connected to said intermedIary means.
 3. The combination as claimed in claim 2 including a first stop being engageable with said paper-engaging member in said operative paper-engaging position, and a second stop engageable with said paper-engaging member in said inoperative position remote from said paper.
 4. The combination as claimed in claim 3, wherein said feeding means comprises a pair of rollers engageable with opposite sides of said paper.
 5. The combination as claimed in claim 4, wherein said intermediary means is a spring.
 6. The combination as claimed in claim 5, wherein said support means includes a pivotally supported lever.
 7. The combination as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cutting means operates to cut said paper when said feeding means is stopped. 